Claire Hughes, the Labour Member of Parliament for Bangor Aberconwy, has called for baby loss certificates, which recognise the loss of a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy, to be made available to parents in Wales.
Baby loss certificates were first launched in February 2024 but were only available to those who experienced a loss since September 2018. Since last October, the government has extended the free service with no backdating, allowing all parents who have suffered a historical pregnancy loss or a future loss to apply. To date, more than 50,000 certificates have been issued. However, the service is currently only available to parents living in England.
Claire Hughes MP said: “Since last year, parents in England who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a pregnancy have been able to apply for a certificate which formally acknowledges their loss.
“Baby loss certificates can provide a way for bereaved parents to remember and commemorate their babies – but they’re not available in Wales.
“Following the UK Government’s launch of a voluntary scheme in England, an agreement was reached in principle with the then Minister for Health and Social Care and the previous Secretary of State for Health and Social Services to extend the scheme to Wales. Unfortunately, discussions were paused in the lead-up to and during the General Election period.
“I am reassured that both the UK and Welsh Government are committed to extending the scheme to Wales, and that work is underway to achieve this, but it has not been implemented yet.
“I promised local families who have contacted me about this issue that I would press the Government for action, and I’ve asked the Leader of the House of Commons to help me secure a meeting with the relevant ministers.
“It’s vital that bereaved parents have the option to officially recognise the existence of their babies and how much they matter – I’ll do whatever I can to push for progress and make baby loss certificates available in Wales.”
In response to her question in Parliament, House of Commons Leader Lucy Powell said: “Baby loss certificates in England have provided recognition and comfort to many families who have been bereaved by baby loss.
“And I think her calls for this to be extended to Wales are absolutely right, and I will make sure she gets some contact with the minister to discuss it further.”
